Muni, a transit system overcome by budget tribulations and recent train accidents, will undergo serious route changes starting Dec. 5, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

SFMTA announced on Nov. 2 that six bus routes are going to be discontinued, along with 20 bus route changes and service hour reductions on 24 routes -- meaning most buses will soon stop running shortly after midnight instead of well after 1 a.m.

The agency revealed the bridging of a $129 million budget deficit as the immediate cause of the upcoming transit alterations. With increased fares and a rising trend in Muni-related fatalities, the transit system will see a major overhaul next month.

"We want to ensure that the Muni service changes are implemented as smoothly as possible with minimum impact to our customers," SFMTA Board Chairman Tom Nolan said.

SFMTA had to close its current deficit by slicing $77 million in expenditures through internal position eliminations and decreasing the level of transit next month, according to the agency.

Muni raised its adult fare to $2 from $1.50 along with parking meter and fee increases across the city last July. That revenue has earned Muni $52 million to contribute to its budget deficit, according to SFMTA, and the transit agency collects over $30 million annually alone from city parking meters.

However, the agency said it has no plans of changing the current ride fare, but adult fast passes are going to be $70 starting in January 2010.

"There's nothing we can really do to boycott them," Muni patron Dave Santori said. "People need Muni."

The 22-year-old San Francisco native said part of what he likes about the city is that it's not a car-dependent society, and that people will have to adjust to the change.

SFMTA added it is no longer receiving transit operations funding from the state of California.

"Every transit operator in the Bay Area and nationally are experiencing cuts in funding," Tilly Chang, executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Agency, said. "These service cuts are really unfortunate."

Muni operates 80 transit routes within San Francisco, with 90 percent of all stops being within two blocks of residences in the city. More than half of the routes will be altered, according to SFMTA.

"That's how people get around, that's how they get to work," Daniel Martinez, 22, said of the discontinued Muni routes.

Martinez added that the 26-Valencia bus route, which is to be eliminated, was a route he used to take frequently. However, he also said that he hasn't ridden Muni in a while because of the fare increase.

The San Francisco City College student also said the reduced service hours on some buses will definitely affect him when he's trying to get around the city late at night.

"We know San Francisco has a very sensitive population," Chang said. "It's a very tough situation."

Muni routes with low ridership played heavily into the decisions to cut routes, decrease route frequency and end routes earlier, according to SFMTA.

The route changes are supposed to improve on-time performance, according to Kristen Holland, a spokesperson for SFMTA.

Currently, Muni's record has a 73.3 percent on-time reliability, up from 70.6 percent from last year, she added.

Chang said data was complied by the SFCTA on Muni passenger frequency using automatic passenger counting devices. The counters collected travel time information, as well as kept a tally of Muni riders, which was used to distinguish the less crowded routes from those bus lines most heavily used.

The Transit Effectiveness Project, an 18-month study for Muni service improvement, contributed data on ridership as well, according to Chang.

However, according to the SFMTA, only a handful of bus routes will see service hours expanded. The 14-Mission Limited will see more hours of service at the cost of having stops combined while the 38-Geary route will be the only route to have riders experience more bus frequency and more service hours.

Nolan said that the SFMTA Board of Directors has requested a report in six months to evaluate the success of the service changes. Data on ridership, productivity and reliability as well as customer feedback will be central to the evaluation, he added.

Safety Concerns

The new changes are adding to the frustrations of San Francisco residents, given the recent Muni collisions, accidents and passenger safety, Chang said.

On Tuesday morning, an outbound L-Taraval train derailed between Castro and Forrest Hill Stations, but no injuries were reported, according to SFMTA spokesperson Judson True.

True added the cause of the derailment might be due to a problem with the communication cable in that section of the tunnel, according to an SFMTA report.

Last July, two light-rail Muni trains collided in West Portal station, injuring 47, according to the SFMTA. A few weeks later, two Muni trains crashed into an SUV in the Castro and in September, a train struck a man at Church and 22nd Streets, killing him, the agency said.

"Muni control is really old and needs to be upgraded," Chang said of the system that oversees daily Muni operations. "There's a control center project to upgrade the system. It's high priority and expensive."

On Nov. 3, SFMTA announced a new DriveCam system that will be integrated aboard all Muni vehicles. The cameras record and download a few seconds of footage before and after an incident when the vehicle experiences an exceptional force, such as hard breaking or swerving.

"Operators who engage in unsafe behavior must be trained or disciplined," said James Dougherty, SFMTA's safety chief. "DriveCam will serve as a vital component of our training system."

Chang attributes the most recent collisions to operator error.

The $1.2 million contract covers the installation of the equipment and only a one-year subscription to the DriveCam service, according to the transit agency.

Muni currently has 10 out of 150 light-rail trains out of service due to crashes, with an $18 million bill for repairs. And last September, the city's Board of Supervisors approved a $56.7 million contract that includes $15 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to upgrade the aging light-rail fleet, according to Holland.

"The SFMTA is eligible to receive $67 million in ARRA funds to complete maintenance, rehabilitation and renovation," Holland said. "These are priority projects that will help keep Muni in good operating order."

According to data collected by the SFMTA and the Federal Transit Authority, 42 Muni collisions resulted in fatalities in 2007.

"I wouldn't ride Muni if I didn't feel safe," Santori said.

He added that collisions and crime are bound to exist on any widely used and operated transit system.

Chang claims that on-board passenger safety is a definite concern, but said Muni has done a good job with making passengers feel safe.

Passenger safety has become a concern, especially since the stabbing of an 11-year-old took place aboard the 49-Van Ness bus last September, she said.

However, the cameras on-board that bus were disabled at the time of the crime, according to SFMTA.

"We don't think the San Francisco Police Department has been a visible presence on the buses," Chang said. "Muni makes payments to the police department for security."

Chang admits there are other several factors that could increase rider safety, such as the new radio communications project, which will centralize communication between vehicle operators and law enforcement.

"It's not the only solution," she said. "It's a much bigger problem."